Apostles Creed for Fourth Graders

[Craig Laughlin]

We are putting together the details of our Children's department "learning objectives" for each grade level. In the fourth grade they are supposed to memorize the Apostles Creed. I am looking for a contemporary language version that would be understandable for fourth graders.

Any suggestions?

[Benjamin Burch]

If I knew Latin, I would translate it for you. However, I don't.

[John Kennedy]

Maybe use some of your youth group, with competent assistance (someone with some degree of theological expertise), to write a contemporary paraphrase. You might thus stealthily catechize the otherwise uncatechizable.

[Melissa DeBono]

Craig,
I would suggest that you NOT have the kids memorize a paraphrase. I would stick to a very classic form, because it will be more reinforced as a memory through their lifetime. The "way" you memorize something as a kid tends to stick. (anyone STILL get stuck on trespasses/debts in the Lord's Prayer?)

By all means take the time to go over the creed with the kids so that they can learn the vocabulary, if they can't do that, maybe you need to revisit your learning objectives. (But I think they can generally be expected to do so at that age.) Also, memorization as a skill is waning in education, if your church does not already do a lot of memorization with the kids, this is a fairly long text. Good Luck with that.

[Eric Frey]

I'm with Melissa. It really trips me up when I attend morning prayer at the Seminary I am attending and have to try and remember the differences between the Nazarene Creed and the Episcopal Creed. Stick to the common creed... I'd even have them use --- wait for it --- CATHOLIC!

[Jon Bemis]

I agree with Melissa and Craig - have them memorize it in classic form. One of the things we have done is incorporate it into our communion liturgy and so the entire congregation recites it once a month.

[Benjamin Burch]

I'm with Melissa. It really trips me up when I attend morning prayer at the Seminary I am attending and have to try and remember the differences between the Nazarene Creed and the Episcopal Creed. Stick to the common creed... I'd even have them use --- wait for it --- CATHOLIC!

Yes, but you and I really are strange buggers.

[Craig Laughlin]

Thanks all,

There is for me always a tension between classical ways saying and doing things and contemporary language and technique. I tend to come down on the side of communicating ideas over preserving verbiage. Here is what I am thinking of using.

I know no catholic. I think in my environment using the word would distract from the purpose which is to teach children. There are pretty strong anti-catholic feelings among evangelicals out here. I continue to work on that issue with folks but I don't think the children's department is the place to fight the battle. The word itself is archaic and has completely fallen out of use. From my perspective that makes it not worth fighting about, and certainly not at the expense of our children. - Just my thoughts in my location.

Apostles Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;

“And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; form there he shall come to judge the living an the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy church of Jesus Christ, the communion of believers, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

Hopefully this does not wander from the concepts but uses language easily accessible to the community in which I live.

Thoughts? - Improvement?

We are blessed with several (former) Lutheran's in leadership in our Children's department who also happen to be master teachers. The Lutheran's system for teaching children is vastly superior to the Nazarene system. They are confident that over the course of a year the kids can memorize the creed. They are also going to memorize the Lord's prayer (at another grade level) and do a number of things that we hope will lay into them a good foundation.

Always looking for better ways of doing the Kingdom.

[Benjamin Burch]

Thoughts? - Improvement?

I would...

(1) use "hades" instead of "hell." I think it's more accurate to what was meant by the early Church's concept of Jesus' descent.
(2) use "apostolic" instead of "of Jesus Christ." That is, if you're looking for something to replace "catholic" with, why not borrow from the Nicene Creed?

So, it would look as follows:

Apostles' Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;

“And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hades; the third day He rose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; form there he shall come to judge the living an the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Apostolic Church, the communion of believers, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

[Ryan Scott]

I like "descended to the dead," or "to the grave" over hades or hell.

I also prefer "was cricified, died, and was buried," more for gramatical reasons than anything else.

[Ryan Scott]

There's a version of the Apostles' Creed at the beginning of the Ashes to Fire journal. I don't have mine with me, but I suspect that's the version that may show up in Nazarene material going forward. It could be a good place to start (although it does use the word "catholic" - a change from the one we recited in Orlando at General Assembly).

[Eric Frey]

Is the reason for replacing 'saints' with 'believers' similar to the reason for not using 'catholic'? Certainly saint is not an archaic word, it is thorough biblical and we still (at least those who utilize the calendar) celebrate "All Saints Day." So is it another concession to the anti-papists?

[Craig Laughlin]

Is the reason for replacing 'saints' with 'believers' similar to the reason for not using 'catholic'? Certainly saint is not an archaic word, it is thorough biblical and we still (at least those who utilize the calendar) celebrate "All Saints Day." So is it another concession to the anti-papists?

No in terms of the anti-papists, most evangelicals (out here - I'll only speak to the culture of the Pacific Northwest) get that saints-R-us who follow Christ. The issue for me on this word is secular culture. The word "saint" has been so filled with negative and derogatory meaning that I choose not to fight that battle in the children's department.

I would like to find a word different than believers. It to easily falls into the trap of "think the right things about God and pray this pray and you are good" sort of mindset.

[Benjamin Burch]

Is the reason for replacing 'saints' with 'believers' similar to the reason for not using 'catholic'? Certainly saint is not an archaic word, it is thorough biblical and we still (at least those who utilize the calendar) celebrate "All Saints Day." So is it another concession to the anti-papists?

Color me blind, I did not even notice that.

[John Kennedy]

I wasn't proposing recitation of the creed in paraphrase. The value of the paraphrase is more in the process than the finished product. The paraphrase activity would help them to understand better what they are reciting.

[John Kennedy]

The Congregational church I attended for years used the Apostles' Creed on Sundays when communion was being served. On other Sundays the used an adaptation of an affirmation of faith used in many non-UCC Congregational churches.
Interestingly enough, the version we used did NOT contain the 'He descended into Hell...." language. In fact there was a specific bulletin reference to it's not being used.

[Kimberly Merrill]

Then there's always the song "Creed" by Petra or another song called "Creed" by Rich Mullin...

[Steven Burton]

I would...

(1) use "hades" instead of "hell." I think it's more accurate to what was meant by the early Church's concept of Jesus' descent.
(2) use "apostolic" instead of "of Jesus Christ." That is, if you're looking for something to replace "catholic" with, why not borrow from the Nicene Creed?

So, it would look as follows:

Not sure if you want to but you might have to explain hades.

here is what wiki has:
1. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
5. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.
6. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
7. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
9. the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,
10. the forgiveness of sins,
11. the resurrection of the body,
12. and life everlasting.
Amen.

but then you still have the problem with descended to the dead, which can play on the hades part as well.